Schizophrenia

History

Kurt Schneider, a German psychiatrist, created a list of psychotic symptoms in the early 20th century that he thought distinguished schizophrenia from other psychotic disorders. This was called "Schneider's first rank symptoms" and his list is still used and cited today. Accounts of something that could be schizophrenia were sort of rare before the 19th century. Often times it would be vague descriptions of the common side effects of schizophrenia. The earliest case of it would be in 1797; the name of the schizophrenic was James Tilly Matthews. Schizophrenia went through various different names before being finalized in 1908. Schizophrenia translates, from Greek roots, to "splitting of the mind".

Causes

Schizophrenia can come from several factors. Schizophrenia is genetic; the disorder being passed down family lines is the prominent case for people with it. It occurs within 10 percent of people who have a first-degree relative with the disorder, like a parent, brother, or sister. Recent studies suggest that schizophrenia may result when a certain gene that is key to making important brain chemicals malfunctions; however, this is not proven yet. The anatomy of schizophrenia is just an absolute mess. In no studies do all patients show the same deviations from control samples. No abnormality has been found that is either necessary or sufficient for the diagnosis. There is evidence to support the theory that schizophrenia is a disease that develops because of derangements to CNS functions. The life expectancy of someone with schizophrenia drops 12 to 15 less years than those who do not have the disorder. The reason for the decreased life expectancy is increased health problems and higher rates of suicide in people with the disorder.

Symptoms

Schizophrenia makes it hard to tell the difference between reality and what's not really there or true. It is very difficult to think clearly and have normal emotional responses to things. They simply cannot act naturally in social situations. Often times they stumble over words and constantly repeat the same words in one long string. They make bizarre connections into things that are in no way related. They have constant delusions and hallucinations. Lots of people with the disorder get the horrible feeling of everyone around them stalking them or spying on them. They constantly have intense paranoia. Often times, they do not appear sick at all from just looking at them; however, talking to them will reveal a lot.

Treatment

Schizophrenia cannot be cured, but the side effects can be. Lots of medicine is used to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia, but not eliminating the disorder itself. The most common medicines used are Chlorpromazine, Haloperidol, Perphenazine, and Fluphenazine. Many useful therapies have been developed to assist people suffering from schizophrenia and include psychotherapy, rehabilitation, family education, and self help groups. The long term health outlook depends entirely on how quickly it is found and treated, what kind of medicine and how long the affected is on it, how severe it was when found out, and how supportive

Future of Schizophrenia

The future of this scary disorder is looking brighter as technology and the knowledge of humans gets better and more advanced. Currently, according to helpguide.org, 1 in 5 will get better within five years of their first episode of schizophrenia, 3 in 5 will get better, but will still have some symptoms; they will have times when their symptoms get worse. Since knowledge of schizophrenia has gotten better, it's easier for families to cope and be optimistic; the advanced medicine that the afflicted one would be on could reduce symptoms within 10-15 days. As time goes by, treatment will only get better, and hopefully someday schizophrenia could be destroyed entirely.

Interesting Stuff

While looking around the Internet, I ended up finding 2 Youtube channels, both ran by someone who I and many others believe to have schizophrenia. She shows many symptoms of it; delusions, stuttering and repeating words, making weird things that just don't make sense at all, and more. I will provide links to her Youtube channel and her most startling videos. Some of her videos may not necessarily be safe-for-school (language), but I am providing this because I find it very interesting.